My cat has sent me to the hospital in the middle of the night because I made the mistake of dangling my arm over the bed and he thought it was some amusing toy. Sometimes I have to get under the covers and shelter in place until he settles down. Totally sympathetic to Scott Brown's daughter.

A: Amy Argetsinger

Yeah, crazy story, isn't it? I had a less dire but equally eye-opening experience with a cat I had temporarily adopted more than a decade ago. Clawed and bit the hell out of my arm and hand. And while I was bleeding profusely and in pain, it all seemed so superficial that I felt silly calling the hospital for advice. But they took it really seriously: They insisted I come in, and they hooked me up to an IV and gave me antibiotics and almost kept me overnight. They don't mess around with cat bites.

Why wait three years to get a paternity test? If I were the real dad, I'd be highly insulted by the whole thing.

A: Amy Argetsinger

I thought Steve Cohen actually explained himself fairly well on that point: He took the mom's word for it (and seems like she really believed it too), and didn't want to look like he was doubting or denying paternity by asking for proof. Also, seems like there was a big element of wishful thinking -- like, he really wanted to be someone's dad.

As for the real dad, John Brink -- sounds like he was completely in the dark about these conversations, until the news broke in February, after Cohen's errant tweets, that the congressman was claiming to be the father of his daughter.

Just seems weird. I mean don't you have to be in the same time zone as somebody you're cheating with? Weiner just seems to be using the 2.0 version of 1-900 dirty talk numbers. It isn't that I care about Weiner's political ambitions or disregard him lying to the press (which, let's face it, is THE real sin). Would anybody's sex life were stand-up to so much criticism. Let he who is without sin show us his internet browser history?

A: Amy Argetsinger

There's a lot more going on here than looking at some naughty Web sites. You've also got the element of vaguely exploitative behavior with obscure young women. And while lying was the big issue two years ago -- the angry righteousness with which Weiner at first denied the accusations -- this time I think it's more like, "Whoa, this guy is out of control." Like, he's doing the EXACT SAME THING he got in massive trouble for two years ago, and doing it while he's casting himself as a rehabilitated guy devoted to his family and ready for a second chance. It's the incredible scary risk-taking. (And yes, the creepiness.)

Why all the calls for Weiner to drop out of the mayoral race? Shouldn't the voters decide whether he's fit or not? We've all seen races that attract candidates of all stripes -- strippers, clowns (literally), eccentrics, etc. Unless Weiner did something that disqualifies him from holding office, the demands for his withdrawal seem unnecessary and overblown.

A: Amy Argetsinger

Good point. That's always part of the dynamic in a situation like this, though. Especially when there's a primary race going on, and then I can get why members of his own party might be saying, "hey, you're wasting our time and hurting our chances."

Really isn't the only person this actually matters to Weiner's wife Huma. We can say we wouldn't do that in her shoes, but we aren't in her shoes obviously. There are death-row inmates who are still married to their wives, so who are we to judge turning a blind-eye to some sexual fantasy with women her husband will never meet.

A: Amy Argetsinger

Arguably. But I can see how the people of New York would also want to make sure they're voting for someone of sound mind.

The latest revelations, especially the "Carlos Danger" thing, seems so pathetic. Even if you are in the "I don't care what a politician does in his/her personal" camp, you still don't want to elect someone that sad.

Has to be "Carlos Danger" - It's such an adolescent, unimaginative pseudonym. And, why is it that so many of these seem to have a weird Hispanic element to them? Do these guys really think anyone would think Carlos Danger or Ron Mexico are hot Latin lovers? (both yukky and offensive).

A: Amy Argetsinger

Apparently Robert Hanssen picked his code name "Ramon Garcia" not merely because it's kind of sexy, but because he liked the resonance of "CIA" in the last letters of the name. Or something like that.

Whoops, just gave away one of the answers to our VIP alias quiz. How'd you do on that?

IIRC, he and John Mahoney (from "Frasier") were acting buddies in Chicago back in the day, before either of them made it big.

A: Amy Argetsinger

Indeed: According to this Tribune obit, Mahoney was another late-blooming actor on the Chicago scene, who urged Farina to try out for a theatrical production after he stumbled into that first movie role.

Are you saying that any person who uses the websites isn't "someone of sound mind" or just because he's an ambitious politician?

A: Amy Argetsinger

I'm saying that someone who is sexting women who aren't his wife -- after already seeing his career ruined by sexting other women who aren't his wife, and who is working to get his marriage back on track and mount a last-chance political comeback, and yet DOES THIS AGAIN ANYWAY, leaving an electronic paper trail in the hands of a woman he doesn't even know -- that yes, this is a kind of impulsive, out-of-control behavior that indicates someone might have some issues.

Over the years, I kinda understand why Hillary stayed with Bill--the man is smart, charismatic and totally compelling. However, I don't see any of these qualities in Anthony Weiner that would make Huma stick with him through this public humiliation.

A: Amy Argetsinger

Well, in fairness -- being smart and charismatic and compelling isn't a guarantee of being a great mate. And, you know, there's someone for everyone, and just because we can't see what she sees in Weiner doesn't make it less valid.

Don't know if anyone made this point, but a 35 year old congressman in 1785 was pretty old, too, considering average life expectancy was about 45 back then. Accordingly, Congresspersons in their 60s today, when the average life expectancy in about 78 doesn't seem too off to me.

Between this story and the earlier poster whose arm was a scratching post, it just further proves my theory that cats are evil and having one as a house pet is indicative of the "he's bad, but he'll change for me" attitude that most cat owners possess.

Yes, Kate will be Queen Catherine -- or whatever she wants to be called -- one day. However, as part of the PR deal that Charles and Camilla got married after their divorces was that she would not take the title of queen. But they could probably change their minds about that and try to make it happen.

The Royal Family is in the business of trying to justified to a reasonable Britain and Commonwealth nations why they are need, right? It just seems like post-Diana's tell-all by Andrew Morton, hasn't the myth gone away yet? I'm not saying that Wills and Kate are happy or unhappy (I believe they are), but that "The Palace" has just staged it to look happy and normal and "just like us, but more handsome"

Nope. Did you read his messages??? And, he didn't even bother to leave his boxers on this time! I can't help but wonder if she is in the delusion that this marriage could propel her the way Hillary was propelled, and she's just in it for that angle.

Actually, total aside, but that's a myth. As somebody who works in historical archiving, when something is taking off the Internet, it's gone forever which makes it pretty sucky as a record for history. Obviously if it involves a famous person and somebody got it copied before it was taken down is different, but that's an extremely rare case and history is about us common folk just as much as the famous ones.

A: Amy Argetsinger

"Obviously if it involves a famous person and somebody got it copied before it was taken down. . . "

But that's sort of what we're talking about here, in terms of high-risk behavior. For famous people, their online behavior is being monitored all the time.

I would kick this guy to the curb. Why would you want to raise a child, let alone a SON, with a man who thinks it's just cool to send pictures of your prick to strange women. What a swell example of manhood he is. (And if she has a daughter with this guy, what are you going to tell her? That it's OK to engage in phone sex with married man?)

"Don't know if anyone made this point, but a 35 year old congressman in 1785 was pretty old, too, considering average life expectancy was about 45 back then."
No, no, NO. *Average* life expectancy back then was a lot shorter because high infant and childhood mortality dragged the average way down. Once you reached adulthood, average life expectancy was fairly high (I think 60s or 70s, but I can't put my finger on the stats quickly enough for this chat). Many of the founders (who generally had the advantage of being wealthy) lived to ripe old ages.

When this all went down in 2011, I actually thought it unnecessary to resign. But now he comes off, at least, as someone who has no compulsion control. The fact that this woman was massively age inappropriate doesn't help either. And, he seems to have, um, upped his game - at least in the photography department. Get lost, dude.

I guess I just think anybody's sex life is kind of creepy when you know about it. Also "vaguely exploitative behavior with obscure young women"? When this "legal of consent" drop out of the lexicon? "Hey, I'm famous, wanna sext with me?" isn't pretty mild on the exploitative that famous people do to their young fans.

A: Amy Argetsinger

Of course, there is worse behavior. But still. A lot of people want their leaders to be better than that.

I guess Cohen himself made this a big deal after all the tweets, but why did anyone CARE if he was tweeting a single young woman? He is not married after all - right? - so while some folks may not value May-Dec type relationships, he wasn't technically anything 'wrong'. Correct? So why all the kerfuffle?

A: Amy Argetsinger

Well, don't overthink this: The entire State of the Union Tweeting saga unraveled very quickly, and I think everyone's reactions were based in normal curiosity: First, "whoa, the congressman is tweeting some young babe -- a girlfriend we should know about?" And then, "What -- he deleted the tweets? Is he embarrassed?" And then next thing you knew Cohen -- apparently to defend the honor of the young woman that had stirred everyone's curiosity, announces that she's his secret long-lost daughter, and whoa, well, that's a story! You didn't even need to be judgy to get into it.

I don't lump them in together at all. Spitzer is a Princeton and Harvard educated lawyer with a long and impressive resume who has achieved substantive accomplishments on behalf of New Yorkers. Weiner is a show horse who I don't think is particularly intelligent and has no skills that would make him employable outside of politics. Spitzer has options. Weiner, not so much.

A: Amy Argetsinger

I'm not going to debate Spitzer's accomplishments versus Weiner's accomplishments -- but I will note that going to Ivy League schools doesn't necessarily make one any more of a quality human being.

The Queen can abdicate but then Charles would become King immediately. He would then have to abdicate so William could be King. It's not going to happen. Unlike the Dutch, the Brits don't have a tradition of convenience abdication.
As well, the Queen thing for Camilla is not just a PR arrangement. The hang up is that the Sovereign can't marry a person who is divorced, so technically, in the eyes of the Line of Succession Act, Charles doesn't have a wife. Blame the rules of the Church of England for this.

Most weel known as an L&O detective but check him out in Crime Story if you can find it. An unusually excellent TV show of only two seasons. Also, his first film, the wonderful Anthony Mann's Thief. He has only a small role but James Caan, Tuesday Weld and Robert Prosky are great in it.

FWIW, those Hispanic-y aliases are amateur-ish and gringo-ish. They should use my last name (which I am not going to reveal here.) My unusual last name, which is NOT of Hispanic origin, by coincidence happens to be a VERY obscene word in the slang of some Latin American countries. Facebook would not allow me to register using my real last name, presumably because of that (although FB never responded to my many requests to let me register with my real name.) I suspect that some automated resume and email spam checkers automatically put me in the junk folder. Sometimes people from those Latin American countries, when they first see my name, just GASP and exclaim "Is that REALLY your name?!" I once had a manager originally from one of those countries and he NEVER said my last name. And googling my name results in an enormous list of Hispanic porno sites. But I've had that name my whole life and don't want to have to change it --- kind of like being born with a big ugly nose and not wanting to get plastic surgery just to make life easier.

Whoa, I didn't say anything about quality of their character. I don't know how you inferred that. I'm saying he has an impressive resume and solid work background outside of government/politics. He's not just a politician, as Weiner is and as a different poster said earlier.

A: Amy Argetsinger

Well, you kind of put Spitzer's diplomas front and center, though I see your larger points as well too.

"He has $1mm+ in campaign funds that are unusable after this election cycle, and no other identifiable, employable skills or experience."
Perhaps they'll consider him for next season's Dancing with the Stars?